GG: 404: From Maine to San Diego
by me11
Summary: Fourth episode in my S4: in which Luke and Lorelai play baseball (and other games)...
1. Teaser

Gilmore Girls 4.04: From Maine to San Diego  
  
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the cast, crew, creators,  
writers or producers of Gilmore Girls. I have no connection to the show  
and the characters are not mine. Okay?  
  
A/N: Please excuse any baseball terms or names (players) that I may have  
spelled wrong. I am NOT a professional, or even semi-professional. come  
to think of it I am a step below amateur baseball players.. Anyway it's  
just a game that I had to play in gym class, so if I use the wrong lingo,  
too bad. BTW, this one's dedicated to Karen Murray, because she shared  
her story.  
  
Summary: Episode four in my version of Season 4. A softball tournament,  
with Luke and Lorelai.  
  
* * *  
  
Previously on Gilmore Girls:  
  
"Will you be one of my bridesmaids?" Lindsay asks a surprised Rory.  
"Okay," Rory agrees.  
  
"Luke would you be interested in playing in my company's charity softball  
game?" Richard asks Luke. "We could use a competent pitcher."  
  
"You have a new family now," Rory throws a picture of herself, Lorelai  
and Luke at Christopher. "I guess it's just a matter of time before  
you're replaced too."  
  
"It's kind of a nice feeling, you wanting that with me and Rory," Lorelai  
tells Luke. "In a couple of weeks, when things settle down."  
  
* * *  
  
Teaser  
  
"Lucas!" Lorelai called out as her and Rory walked into the diner on  
Tuesday morning. August had arrived in Stars Hollow and with it came the  
impending rush of preparing the inn, getting ready to start at Yale, and  
the fast approaching date of Lindsay and Dean's wedding.  
  
"What? Don't call me that!" Luke feigned his annoyance at Lorelai's  
antics.  
  
"What should we call you?" Rory asked him as both Gilmore's slipped  
onto stools at the counter.  
  
"Yes? And keep in mind that my daughter's virgin ears are not prepared  
to listen to any of your disturbing suggestions," Lorelai clamped her  
hands around Rory's ears. "She will not call you Big Daddy!"  
  
"You promise?" he rolled his eyes, slightly uncomfortable about any  
sex talk around Rory. However, he couldn't help thinking, if Lorelai  
wanted to call him Big Daddy.  
  
"No fun," Lorelai pouted.  
  
"Leave him alone," Rory pushed her mother's hands away from her head.  
She looked up at Luke. "Can we get coffee please, Uncle Lukey?" Lorelai  
and Rory burst out laughing at the annoyed look on Luke's face.  
  
"Are you eating?" he asked them, pulling out his order pad.  
  
"Are you new?" Lorelai scoffed and Rory rolled her eyes at her mother,  
tired of this game already.  
  
"Can I get bacon, eggs and hash browns?" Rory asked him sweetly.  
  
"Sure," Luke's face flickered a smile before he turned to Lorelai  
expectantly.  
  
"I want a chocolate chip muffin.oh! And a blueberry muffin," Lorelai  
paused. "Please?" Luke nodded, but grumbled as he walked away. Rory and  
Lorelai drank their coffee, chattering away about Dean's upcoming  
wedding. "Do you know who you're going to bring as your date?" Lorelai  
asked her daughter.  
  
The diner phone ringing interrupted Rory's reply. Once Luke answered  
it, she continued. "I don't know," she sighed. "Now that Jess is gone I  
don't really have someone to bring."  
  
"I'm sure Jess would've jumped at the chance too," Lorelai pretended  
to be upset, and Rory ignored her.  
  
"I was thinking of asking Zac, since the band is playing there.but I'm  
a little worried he'll hit on you all night."  
  
Lorelai's eyebrows shot up. "Zac? Rory, did you suffer a blunt blow to  
the head recently? Or do you just have a little thing for our FTTEOTD  
friend?" Lorelai laughed.  
  
"No," Rory sighed. "I'm just kind of out of options."  
  
Luke came over to them, an odd look on his face. Lorelai noticed. "Who  
was that?" she asked, assuming that the call was the reason for the weird  
look.  
  
"You're nosy," he smiled at her. "Actually it was you dad." He pointed  
to Lorelai.  
  
"Why did Grandpa call you Luke?" Rory was confused. "I mean, not that  
he shouldn't call you, but-"  
  
"I know what you mean. He wants me to play in his company's softball  
tournament this weekend," Luke explained as he refilled their coffees.  
  
"Cool," Rory smiled approvingly and sipped her coffee.  
  
"I forgot about that," Lorelai admitted. "So, you're going to play on  
my dad's team?"  
  
"Would you mind if I did?" Luke didn't want to step on any toes, and  
he was well aware of how touchy Lorelai was when it came to her parents.  
  
"Of course not," Lorelai waved her hand, and Rory was forced to lean  
sharply over to avoid getting smacked in the face. "Sounds fun."  
  
"Yeah, it's been a while since I played, with someone other than Dean  
that is," Luke smiled in recollection. "I'll call your dad back."  
  
"This is so cool," Rory said as Luke went to call Richard. "I can't  
wait to watch."  
  
"I thought we Gilmore's were united in our dislike for sports,"  
Lorelai gasped. "You are no daughter of mine anymore!"  
  
"Stop it, I just want to go and cheer for Luke and Grandpa," Rory  
rolled her eyes.  
  
"Do you think Dad will actually play?" Lorelai and Rory both paused to  
consider Richard actually playing a sport besides golf. "Anyway, we  
should go to cheer them on," Lorelai sipped her coffee. "Are you in?" she  
asked Luke as he came back over.  
  
"Yep, we practice Thursday and Friday," he told them, then shook his  
head as Lorelai waved her empty coffee cup in front of him.  
  
"When does it start?" Rory asked him and began waving her cup as well.  
"Saturday morning," he told them, trying to ignore the waving cups.  
  
"We'll be there," Lorelai said as Rory reached pathetically for the  
coffee pot.  
  
"You don't have to," Luke said modestly, not wanting to inconvenience  
them.  
  
"We'll be there," Lorelai repeated firmly, leaving it closed to  
discussion, and Rory nodded in agreement. Luke smiled slightly and gave  
in, refilling their cups. They sipped the coffee happily.  
  
"Softball," Lorelai sang out suddenly.  
  
"From Maine to San Diego," Rory joined in, then they both continued  
together. "Softball.Mattingly and Conseco. Ken Griffey's grotesquely  
swollen jaw.Steve Sax and his run in with the law."  
  
Luke walked away in annoyance as they continued to sing.  
  
ROLL CREDITS. 


	2. Act One

A/N: I apologize for my slow updates.I got caught up in Harry Potter Mania. For you Potter fans out there, I have started on a Fictional Book Six already. On with the show.  
  
* * *  
  
bAct One/b  
  
"So have you talked to your dad yet?" Lane asked Rory on Wednesday  
morning as they walked to the photo hut.  
  
"No, and I don't plan to," Rory sighed.  
  
"Has he called?" she asked again.  
  
"Several times," Rory's shoulders sagged. "I think he's starting to  
get the hint."  
  
"Oh," Lane said, not sure what else to ask about Chris/  
  
"I got another e-mail from Jess," Rory said suddenly after a short  
silence.  
  
"Really?" Lane looked interested. "What did he have to say?"  
  
"Just hey, he got some new books," Rory told her, a hint of sadness in  
her voice. "He asked how I was, how Luke was."  
  
"What did you say?" Lane inquired.  
  
"I told him about Dad," Rory smiled slightly. "I told him to just call  
Luke already." Lane smiled too, knowing that Jess really did care about  
Luke, but just didn't know how to make the first move with him.  
  
"We're here," Lane gestured to the building in front of them.  
  
"Yeah," Rory noted. "How are things with you and Dave?"  
  
"Great!" Lane smiled happily, and Rory had to grin as well.  
  
"What you said before," Rory brought up tentatively. "Have you two."  
  
"No," Lane assured her. "We had a great date though, but we talked  
about it and agreed that there was no need to rush anything."  
  
"That's good," Rory said honestly. "Lane?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Dave's a Ireally/I great guy," Rory told her sincerely. She  
remembered how nice he was to her and decided that she would be a total-  
Dave-supporter.  
  
"I know," Lane smiled giddily and Rory could tell that her friend was  
in love.  
  
* * *  
  
Lorelai was in the lobby of the Dragonfly, trying to get the new computer to work. They had invested money into Michel-friendly software, as they had already asked them if he wanted to be their Assistant Manager, and were now in the process of installing it. Or rather, they were Itrying/I to install it.  
  
Lorelai was just about to throw a shoe at the screen when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered it, slipping her shoe back onto her foot.  
  
"Lorelai?" her father's voice answered her over the line. "How are you?"  
  
"Hi Dad," she was surprised by his call. He rarely called her about anything. "I'm okay, though I'm about an inch away from breaking this stupid computer. How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine, thank-you," he said politely. "I know you're busy so I'll be quick. I assume that Luke has told you about the softball tournament?"  
  
"Yeah, he mentioned that he's playing in it," Lorelai walked into the kitchen to pour herself her tenth cup of coffee. "Rory and I planned on cheering you guys on."  
  
"Well, I would appreciate that," he chuckled. "But actually I was calling to ask if you and Rory would be interested in playing as well."  
  
Lorelai laughed. "You want us to play baseball," she asked incredulously.  
  
"Softball," he corrected and she rolled her eyes. "If you would like to play I would make you a spot on the team."  
  
"Um, well I'm not sure Dad," she told him honestly. "We're not really sports people. Listen, will you be home later this evening?"  
  
"Yes, why?" Richard asked.  
  
"Well, Rory is working right now but I'll ask her when she gets home tonight. We'll call you later and let you know," Lorelai said.  
  
"That's sounds fine," he said. "I'll talk to you tonight then. Goodbye."  
  
"Bye," she was about to hang up when he cut her off.  
  
"Oh, Lorelai!" he said, hoping to catch her before she hung up.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked him.  
  
"Your mother and I really like Luke," he said nervously. "Just so you know. . . we wouldn't mind seeing more of him. You know, if you wanted to bring him along sometime."  
  
Lorelai smiled, and though Richard couldn't see her, he knew she was smiling. "Okay," she finally said, a strange feeling in her chest that felt suspiciously like glee at her father's approval of Luke. "Bye Daddy." She hung up the phone.  
  
From his end, Richard smiled at the receiver in his hand. "Bye Lorelai," he said and hung up as well.  
  
* * *  
  
"Marco?" Rory greeted as she walked into the house after work.  
  
"Polo!" Lorelai emerged form the kitchen to greet her. "How was your day?"  
  
"Not bad," Rory slipped out of her vest and threw it onto the couch. "How was yours?"  
  
"Interesting," Lorelai smirked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your Grandpa called me today," she said, struggling not to laugh. "He wants us to play in the tournament this weekend."  
  
"What?" Rory didn't believe her. "Seriously?"  
  
"Yep, if we want to. He said he'd save us spots in the line up or whatever," Lorelai smiled.  
  
"Well, I don't want to," Rory couldn't believe he'd even asked. She noticed the smile on Lorelai's face and her mouth dropped open. "No way! You're going to play?"  
  
Lorelai rubbed her hands together and laughed manically in reply.  
  
"Do you even know how to play baseball?" Rory asked her.  
  
"Luke's going to teach me," Lorelai replied. "I'm going to go meet him now."  
  
"No way!" Rory yelled again.  
  
"Way!" Lorelai slipped on a pair of sneakers. "Can you call Richard and tell him that I'm going to play, but you're not. He's expecting a call."  
  
"Okay," Rory walked over to the phone.  
  
"There's money for food," Lorelai told her. "I'll see you later."  
  
"Bye Mom," Rory called out as she dialed.  
  
"Bye," Lorelai slipped out the door and left to meet Luke, almost skipping the whole way there.  
  
bCommercial Break. . ./b 


End file.
